Power Pong Table Tennis

Ten Tactical Timeout Tips

Many international matches have been won or lost based on WHEN the timeout was called and WHAT was said during the timeout. In this short article, I’m going to give some brief tips about timeouts…

#1 Call It Early
Most players play better when they are leading in games and leading in points – head up, loud choooing, high confidence. If your player is a good front runner, I would recommend calling timeout in the 2nd or 3rd game. In the first game, the players and coaches are getting a feel for the match. The 2nd game is often huge. Up 1-0 in game is leading 7-1, you player loses a bit of momentum and now lead 7-6. Maybe it is time for a slight tactical adjustment to gain the 2-0 lead. Of course there are exceptions, but generally calling timeout in the 2nd or 3rd game is best to gain the 2-0 or 2-1 lead or avoid the 0-2 or 1-2 deficit.

#2 Downcast Player
Regardless of the score, if you feel that your player is downcast and frustrated, be willing to call timeout. Your player lost the first game and starts off 0-1, 0-2, 0-3 down in the second. His head is down, frustrated, kicking the barriers, and it looks like he is hungover, laid off work, and attending a funeral, call timout.

#3 Momentum From the Opponent
Regardless of the score, if you feel that the opponent is gaining momentum, call timout. Two equal players should have a 50/50 chance of winning each point. However, momentum swings are so critical, that it sometimes feels that the opponent has a 80/20 chance to win the point – in this situation, call timeout.

#4 What to Say
Most of what you say should be in reference to the opponent. Most trained players are very aware of their own shots, placement, serves, mistakes, etc... Typically, most players are less aware of their opponent. If you give them reminders about the opponent’s weaker points, this is usually the most helpful during a timeout.

#5 Repeat It
This might sound funny… but many players who listen to the coach… don’t actually hear the advice. Just after giving advice, ask the player, “So, what is the plan?” If the player gives you blank stare, you need to repeat it again. If the player is about to verbalize the plan back to you, then you know they “got it”.

#6 When to Say it?
When you or your player calls timeout, you know that you have the full 60 seconds, so take your time. When the opponent or opponent’s coach calls timeout, you don’t know how long you have. They can call time-in anytime. In this situation, you must say the most significant advice within the first 5-10 seconds. If you wait, you might lose your opportunity.

#7 Who Will Call It?
Players are allowed to call timeout. Coaches are allowed to call timeout. However, if the coach calls timout, the player is allowed to shrug it off and not take it. Some players like to call timeout themselves. Others prefer if the coach calls timeout. You need to decided ahead of time who will call it or if either of you will call it. I have seen many many matches where the coach called timeout, the player called it off. However, the player was so distracted and the coach was so flustered, that it changed the dimensions of the match and the player played worse and worse. This can be avoided by proper planning ahead of time.

#8 New Coach
There are situations where the player and coach don’t know each other well. In these situations, it is important that there be some pre-match communication. The player needs to explain what kinds of general reminders he needs. During the match, the coach can also ask more questions and be less demanding.

#9 Team Events
In a team event, the coach plus the entire team can give advice. For the player, this seems overwhelming at times. In this situation, I would recommend that only 1 person talk at a time. Remember, this is a time to encourage your player, not roast your player.

#10 Waisted Timeout
With the new coaching rule, the coach can signal or call-out to the player anytime between points. If the coach is merely going to give general advice, like keep-moving or think-about-your-placement or spin-the-ball, then it is better to just shout out the advice. During timeouts and between games, you can give more detailed tactics so that the opponent doesn’t hear it. If you are going to give general encouragement, just shout it out and don’t waist your one and only timeout.

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Out-of-Sync

After not playing for a few weeks, you might feel a bit sluggish or out-of-sync with your game. In this article, I want to explain why and give a few helpful tips that you can use to quickly restore and build your playing-level! When you don’t play at all, these are the first three things that you usually lose… timing, footwork, and serve return.

Timing
Most players say that their strokes feel different. But when you see the stroke, it looks similar. The timing is what makes it feel different. Keep in mind that if you continuously hit the edge, your stroke is too late. To fix this problem, take a faster backswing or shorten your swing or focus on hitting the ball more in-front of your body. Keep in mind that if you continuously whiff the ball, your stroke is too early. To fix this problem, wait for the ball, see the approaching ball then swing as it is approaching, while adjusting the backswing based on the speed, spin, height, and depth of the incoming ball.

Footwork
Even though you might feel out-of-shape, a critical reminder is to move for every ball. Often there is a primary movement based on the location and type of hit you just did, a secondary movement based on what you see from your opponent, and a final movement based on adjusting for the incoming ball. If you physically cannot handle that much moving, try to make at least one movement to get to the ball. If you haven’t played at all, it will be tiring, but it is necessary. Adjusting your feet with also help your stroke to “feel” better and improve your timing, speed, spin, placement, consistency, and allow you to play with more variation. You should also start doing light fitness each day. Go for a 10-min jog, do some light upper body and core training, while keeping in mind that the fitness doesn’t replace table time, it supplements it.

Serve Return
There are 2 main aspects of serve return – reading the spin and adjusting based on what you read. Discipline yourself to watch your opponent’s racket very carefully and also watch the incoming ball, if you can’t read the spin, then wait for the ball – the longer you wait the less speed and spin the ball has – the easier it will be to return. Once you read the spin, adjusting your stroke accordingly and swing with confidence. Generating your own spin is a huge key in returning the serve – you must do a real stroke like loop, flip, push, or chop. Simply blocking a serve is not a legitimate way of returning. This is difficult without the footwork and timing. First get the footwork and timing back in shape then move toward getting your serve return back to par.

Yes, you should be practicing 6 hours per day. But the reality is… life happens. You have a crazy hard project for school that takes you from 3pm-2am every day. You have a growing family and just had your 7th child. Your boss piles up work during tax season. Yeah, I get it. But don’t get depressed and quit. Take necessary steps to get back on schedule and be more determined than ever!

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Big Tournament Coming Up?

In this short coaching article, I will be outlining five vital steps in a peaking for a tournament 30 days from now.

#1 Same Equipment
Every time you change equipment, it takes 2-3 weeks to fully adjust. During those 2-3 week, your game will go down slightly. Make sure that you keep using the same rubber, blade, glue, and shoes during those final 30 days before your big event.

#2 Same Strokes
During the final 30 days of tournament prep, don’t make stroke changes. When the pressure of the tournament comes, you will revert back to your old strokes anyway. Thirty days is not enough time to completely change bad habits. Write a list of your strengths. Think about how you can maximize your strengths without making major changes to your game.

#3 Analyze
Learn to analyze opponents by watching player at your club. See their serving variations, serve return style, and common patterns. This will be important at your major tournament 30 days from now. When you are at your event, you might have 5-10 minutes to watch your opponent play against someone else in the round robin group. During that 5-10 minutes, you need to be able to quickly point out some strengths and weaknesses of your opponent.

#4 Practice Matches
Play at least ten practice matches per week taking them seriously like a tournament. Be sure to use your six-point towel breaks and write brief notes between games.

#5 Tournaments
Two practice tournaments are the most essential part of your 30-day preparation. During these two tournaments, you will be able to test all parts of your game – including the mental aspect. After each match, take detailed notes about your game. Before your major event, take small steps toward perfection and you will see a major difference.

Long Term
It takes about six months for a professional player to properly peak for a tournament. His preparation includes physical training, mental training, nutritional discipline, video analysis, and tournament play.

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